Trump Attorney To Ethics Office: Trump Financial Disclosures Shouldn’t Require A Signature

He’s a special boy.

We’re well into 45^th dimensional chess, folks, so if you’re having trouble keeping up, obviously, you don’t have one of the best brains.

Donald Trump has a long history of adultery, cheating creditors, students, and small business owners.

THAT, according to Trump and his lawyer, Sheri Dillon, makes him trustworthy material.

In a story put out by the Associated Press today, it appears Dillon looked to secure special treatment for Trump from the Office of Government Ethics.

Namely, she insisted that Trump should be able to submit his financial disclosures without his signature, a move that would leave him in the clear, should it be discovered that the information on the disclosures was false.

Attorney Sheri Dillon said she saw no need for Trump to sign his 2016 personal financial disclosure because he is filing voluntarily this year. But OGE director Walter Shaub said his office would only work with Dillon if she agreed to follow the typical process of having Trump make the certification.

His attorney’s effort to sidestep certification of his personal financial disclosure marks another departure from the norm. Each year, the OGE processes thousands of those forms, all of which are certified.

“This is not at all typical; in fact I’ve never heard of anyone trying this,” said Marilyn Glynn, an OGE employee for 17 years before retiring in 2008. Her positions included acting director and general counsel. “It would be as unusual as not signing your taxes.”

The certification means that if a person knowingly included incorrect financial information, the OGE can seek a civil penalty such as a fine, or even make a referral to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution.

So what’s the big deal with signing the disclosures?

I’ve signed a ton of official paperwork in my lifetime, as I’m sure most of you over the age of 18 have.

This wasn’t as if they were asking him to sign an admission of guilt or anything. It’s routine paperwork.

To be clear, this isn’t the same as tax returns, which Trump has remained steadfast against uncovering.

Proof that he can sit on classified information if he wants to.

The letters indicate Shaub and Dillon talked through the importance of Trump presenting true information and signing off on it as such. OGE typically works with federal employees and their representatives and also certifies the financial disclosures.

“As we discussed, OGE will provide this assistance on the condition that the President is committed to certifying that the contents of his report are true, complete and correct,” Shaub wrote in a May 10 letter. “When we met on April 27, 2017, you requested that he be excused from providing this certification.”

Dillon responded affirmatively to the letter and suggested that Trump would have the necessary paperwork – signed – in by mid-June.

Dillon also stressed in her letter, dated May 9, that Trump is under no obligation to file a financial disclosure this year and is doing so voluntarily. “President Trump welcomes the opportunity to provide this optional disclosure to the public, and hopes to file it shortly,” she wrote.

Trump’s disclosures from last year showed that running for president had enriched him, quite a bit. His personal business took a hefty bump while running for office.

Personal financial disclosures include an accounting of a person’s personal income, assets and liabilities. Trump’s 2016 form will span his general election candidacy, election and transition to power — potentially shedding light on the immediate impact his Republican nomination and election had on his Trump Organization.

Again, this is not a substitute for tax returns. It is official paperwork, however, and the point that should be the focus is that Trump wanted to turn it in without a signature to hold him accountable for the information given.

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